Chinese taikonaut debuts spacewalk

Source: Xinhua | 09-27-2008 17:01

BEIJING, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese taikonaut Zhai Zhigang slipped out of the orbital module of Shenzhou-7 Saturday afternoon, starting China's first spacewalk or extravehicular activity (EVA) in the outer space.

Donning a 4-million-U.S.dollar homemade Feitian space suit, Zhai waved to the camera mounted on the service module after pulling himself out of the capsule in a head-out-first position, video monitor at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center (BACC) showed.

"Shenzhou-7 is now outside the spacecraft. I feel well. I am here greeting the Chinese people and people of the whole world," the 42-year-old taikonaut reported to the ground control in Beijing.

Video monitor at the ground control showed Zhai slowly moved towards a test sample of solid lubricant placed outside the orbital module. He took the sample and handed it over to Liu Boming, who stayed in the orbital module and closely monitored Zhai's moves.

After the handover, Zhai, who dreamed of flying into space as an impoverished teenager, started the core part of the space adventure, spacewalk.

The taikonaut, tethered to the spacecraft with two safety wires and a long electric "cord" providing oxygen and communications, moved slowly along.

The Shenzhou-7 spacecraft took off from northwest China's Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at 9:10 p.m. on Thursday, and is scheduled to land on the Inner Mongolia steppe on Sunday.

Editor:Zhang Ning